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Social Marketing Tips for Authors Pt.1

Social media marketing for authors and writers

The more people that follow you on social media such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc., the more influence you have over their buying decisions. It’s a slow process garnering followers, but these people could become “fans” which is equal to instant buyers/readers. It’s also a great way to deepen a connection with your followers to make them “fans”.

AUTHOR PHOTO: Make your author bio photo the same as your social media avatar – for example, if you have a photo that you are using for your biography in a book, you should use the same photo in your social media. If someone reads one of your stories and likes it, sees your photo, then does a search for you on Twitter, Facebook, etc., this makes it easier for them to find you and follow you.

BANNERS: Make your social media banners (across the top of Facebook, Twitter, website, etc.) similar in style and graphics so that your brand is memorable and easily recognized across various venues. Using a slice of your latest book cover is a good idea.

Consistency!

One of the keys to branding is consistency. Make your banners, website, avatars, book designs, fonts, message, etc the same style. This makes it easier for people to subconsciously burn that style into their memory, making it easier to remember you.

SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS: If you are serious about building an online platform to increase your influence and subsequently increase your sales/readership, you need social media accounts, at least Facebook (with over 1 billion active monthly users) and Twitter (about 328 million active monthly users). The Big 5 Publishers won’t even consider an author who has less than 5,000 followers, so it takes some time to be feasible. Create an account just for your writing.

SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS: Only post writing, genre, or genre-adjacent related posts up there. For example, one writer who focuses on Urban Fantasy posts heavily about the TV show Supernatural. A great tie-in as many of her potential readers are fans of the show. They may find her via her social media posts. For her followers, it gives thema new, more human connection to her.

ACCOUNT NAME: Make your social media account name unique and consistent across all venues. For example, if your pen name is “Joe Smith”, make your account name on all your accounts: “JoeSmithAuthor”. It makes it easier for your fans to find and follow you.